Chapter III

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF
STRESS MANAGEMENT

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Theoretical Background of Occupational Stress

3.3. Causes of Stress

3.4. Techniques for Managing the Stress

3.5. Summary
3.1. Introduction

Stress on individuals ranges from personal day to day life to their

organizational activities. Urbanization, industrialization, competition,

modernization and increasing scale of operations in the society are causing

increasing stresses. People perceive stress when they cannot meet up to the

environmental expectations and feel a misfit within themselves. Consistently

increasing rate of psychosomatic and psychological disorders and feeling of

frustration and dissatisfaction with life in general reflect the high stress

being experienced by the people in the present day world. During last two

decade frequency, severity and span of psycho-social stress have drastically

increased. The basic reason being the tremendously changed physical and

socio-cultural environment of the contemporary society and lifestyle of

people. People’s life in contemporary societies has become more

demanding, complicated, mechanical and dependent, and running by the

clock. Ever increasing need and aspirations, stiff competition, pressures of

meeting deadlines and uncertainty of future and weakened social support

system have made the life of majority of people highly stressful in modern

societies.

The term stress has been derived from the latin word stringere which

means to draw tight. The term used to refer to hardship, strain, adversity or

affliction. It was used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to denote

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force, pressure, strain, or strong efforts with reference to an object or person.

Various terms have been synonymously used with stress, viz., anxiety,

frustration, conflict, pressure, strain and the like.1

3.2. Theoretical Background of Occupational Stress

Occupational stress is stress involving work. It occurs when people

have responsibilities and demands at work with which they cannot cope, for

a variety of reasons. It occurs when there is a mismatch between job

expectations and reality. Occupational stress is related to the job place.

Stress is an inherent factor in any type of vocation or career. At its best, the

presence of stress can be a motivator that urges the individual to strive for

excellence. However, excess stress can lead to a lack of productivity, a loss

of confidence, and the ability to perform routine tasks.2

3.2.1. Classification of Stress3

The classification of stress are as follows

1 . Caplan, R.D., Cobb, S., and French, J.R.P. “Relationships of cessation of smoking
with job stress”, personality and social support. Journal of Applied Psychology 60:
1975, pp.211-219.
2 Hart, P.M., "Predicting employee life satisfaction: a coherent model of personality,
work and nonwork experiences, and domain satisfactions". Journal of Applied
Psychology, 1999, pp.564–584.
3 http://www.dealwithstress.com/types-of-stress.html
77
3.2.1.1. Eustress

Eustress can be defined as a pleasant or curative stress. Often, it is

controlled stress that gives competitive edge in performance related

activities like athletics, giving a speech and the like The term eustress was

first used by endocrinologist (Selye 1983)4, when he published a model

dividing stress into two major categories eustress and distress. In his article,

Selye concluded that stress involves enhances function (physical or mental,

such as through strength training or challenging work) and it is considered

eustress. They are able to exert a healthy effect on people. It gives one a

feeling of fulfillment or contentment and also makes one excited about life.

Unfortunately, it is a type of stress that only occurs for a short period of

time. Eustress is often called the curative stress because it gives a person the

ability to generate the best performance or maximum output.

3.2.1.2. Distress

Distress is the most commonly referred to type of stress, having

negative implications. It is bad or negative stress. It is a stress disorder that

is caused by adverse events and it often influences a person’s ability to cope.

Some events leading to distress may be death of a loved one, financial

problems, heavy work responsibility or workload, strained relationship,

4 Selye, H., “The stress concept: Past, present and future”. In C.L Cooper (Ed.).
Stress Research: Issues for Eighties. Chiester: Wiley, 1983, pp.45-47
78
chronic illnesses and the like Distress can be classified further as acute stress

and chronic stress. Acute stress is the most common type of stress. It comes

from demands and pressures of the recent past and the anticipated demands

and pressures of the near future. Acute stress is thrilling and exciting in

small doses, but too much is exhausting.5

Overdoing on short term stress can lead to psychological distress,

tension headaches, upset stomach and other symptoms. Acute stress

symptoms are recognized by most people. The most common symptoms are

emotional distress- some combinations of anger or irritability, anxiety and

depression and the like. Acute stress can crop up in anyone’s life and is

highly treatable and manageable. While acute stress can be thrilling and

exciting, chronic stress is not. This is the grinding stress that wears people

away day after day, year after year. Chronic stress destroys bodies, minds

and lives. It wreaks havoc through long term attrition. It is the stress of

poverty, of dysfunctional families, of being trapped in an unhappy marriage

or in a despised job or career. Chronic stress comes when a person never

sees a way out of a miserable situation. It’s the stress of unrelenting

demands and pressures for seemingly interminable periods of time. The

worst aspect of chronic stress is that people get used to it. They forget it is

there. People are immediately aware of acute stress because it is new; they

5 Schuler., R.S. “Definition and conceptualization of stress in organizations”,

Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource 24: 1980, pp.115-130.
79
ignore chronic stress because it is old, familiar and sometimes almost

comfortable. Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack,

stroke and perhaps even cancer. People wear down to a final, fatal

breakdown. Because physical and mental resources are depleted through

long term attrition, the symptoms of chronic stress are difficult to treat and

may require extended medical as well as behavioural treatment and stress

management.

3.2.1.3. Hyperstress

When a person is pushed beyond what he or she can handle, they are

supposed to be experiencing hyperstress situation. Hyperstress results from

being overloaded or overworked. It’s like being stressed out. When someone

is hyperstressed, even little things can trigger a strong emotional response.

People who are most likely to suffer from hyperstress may be working

mothers who have a multi-task, juggling between work and family

constraints or may be people under constant financial strains or people

working in fast pace environment and the like.6

6 Colquhoum, W.P., “Accidents, injuries, and shift work”, In P.G Rentos and R.D
Shepard (Eds.). Shift Work and Health. Washington, D.C.: U.S Govt. Printing
Office, 1976, pp.22-23
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3.2.1.4. Hypostress

Hypostress stands in direct opposite to hyperstress. This is because

hypostress is one of those types of stress experienced by person who is

constantly bored. Someone in an unchallenging job, such as a factory worker

performing the same task over and over will often experience hypostress.

The effect of hypostress is feelings of restlessness and a lack of inspiration.

3.2.2. Sources of Occupational Stress

Though occupational stress initially arises from constituent factors of

job and its psycho-physical environment, these factors are not inherently

stressors. In fact, personal characteristics of the employee and his cognitive

appraisal of the job factors in the framework of his capacity and resources

determine the extent of stress he would experience from a job factor or

situation. And that is the reason one can only hypothetically predict the

potency of the job factors or situations for causing stress but cannot

categorize or generalize any work-setting variable as a universal stressor.

However, some factors like job insecurity, work overload, demotion, loss of

job, extreme heat or cold etc are likely to cause stress to the majority of

employees. The various causes or sources of stress can be classified into

four broad categories environmental, organizational, group and individual.

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3.2.2.1. Environmental Stressors

Environmental factors have a strong impact on employee stress.

These factors include fast technological change, family demands and

obligations, political factors, ethnic identity, relocation and transfers.

Pestonjee in his study concluded that environmental force has a direct and

strong bearing on the level of employees’ stress. Political factors are likely

to cause stress in countries which suffer from political uncertainties, as in

Iraq and Haiti, for example. New innovations can make an employee’s skill

and experience obsolete in a very short period of time.7

The phenomenal rate of technological and social change also had its

great impact on people’s lifestyle which is carried over into their jobs.

Computers, robotics, automation and other forms of technological

innovation are a threat to many people and cause stress. Where medical

science has made tremendous developments and advancements by

increasing the life span of people and reducing the life claiming threats of

many dreaded diseases on the one hand, the modern life style caught up in

the rush-rush, urbanized and busy lifestyle have brought forth many

complexities and increased the potential for stress on the job, on the other.8

7. Pestonjee,D.M., “Executive stress: Should it always be avoided?”, Vikalpa No.12,

1987, pp.23-30.
8 Rahe, R.H., Meyer, M., Smith, M., Kjaerg, G., and Holmes, T.H. “Social stress and
illness onset”, Journal of Psychosomatic Research no. 8: 1964, pp.35-44.
82
 Changes in the business cycle create economic uncertainties. When

the economy is contracting, people become increasingly conscious and

anxious about their security. It is no surprise that suicide rates skyrocketed

during the great depression of the 1930’s. Minor recessions also increase

stress levels. Downward swings in the economy are often accomplished by

permanent reductions in the workplace, temporary lay-offs, reduced pay and

the like. Weak financial position of a person forces him to do extra job or the

spouse has had to join work to meet ever increasing ends. Such situations

reduce time for recreation, relaxation and family activities.

The overall effect is more stress on the employees. (Bhagat and Allie

1967)9 in their study observed that technological change, economic and

political factors, financial position and family pressures are stressors as

unresolved environmental demands. The physical environmental conditions

such as excessive noise, poor lighting, safety hazards, poorly designed office

space, lack of privacy and poor air quality also cause stress. (Evans and

Johnson 2000)10 reported that clerical employees experience significantly

higher stress levels in noisy open offices than in quiet areas.

9 Bhagat, R.S., and Allie, S.M. Organizational stress, personal life stress and
symptoms of life strains: An examination of the moderating role of sense of
competence. Journals of Vocational Behaviour no.2: 1967, pp.213-218.
10 Evans, G., and Johnson, D. “Stress and open office noise”, Journal of Applied
Psychology no. 85: 2000, pp.779-783.
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3.2.2.2. Organizational Stressors

Stressors exist not only outside the organization, but within it also.

Organizational stressors may come in many forms, such as organizational

policies, procedures and structure. Downsizing, for example, may be

extremely stressful to both employees who lose their jobs and also who

remain in the organization. This is because the remaining employees are

forced to pick up the slack of the workers who have left. In a study (Kivinaki

et al. 2000)11 have established that percentage of employees suffering from

high blood pressure doubled after the company laid off ten percent of its

work force.

i. Job Role is a major source of satisfaction as well as frustration

for the employees. Certain characteristics or inadequacies of

job role have been noted as prominent source of occupational

stress. (Ivancevich and Matteson 1980)12 observed that

whenever the expectations and demands of an employee

conflicts with the expectations and demands of the

organization, the employee experiences role pressure. (Kahn et

11 Kivinaki, M., Vahtera J., Pentti, and Ferrie, J.E., “Factors underlying the effect of
organizational downsizing on health of employees: Longitudinal Cohort Study”,
British Medical Journal: 2000, pp.971-975.
12 Ivancevich, J.M., and Matteson, M.T., “Stress and work: A managerial
perspective”, Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman. 1980, pp.87-89.
84
 al. 1964)13 reported that role ambiguity, role conflict, role

overload and role underload are important organizational

stressors. (Pareek 1981)14 had identified ten situations of role

stress ie., inter-role distance, role stagnation, role expectation

conflict, role erosion, role overload, role isolation, personal

inadequacy, self-role distance, role ambiguity and resource

inadequacy.

ii. Job Characteristics and Attributes Characteristics of the job are

also a very common source of employees’ satisfaction,

frustration and stress. Task complexity and difficulty,

quantitative and qualitative demands of the job and

employees’ controllability over task are the frequent sources of

occupational stress. The pace at which an employee is required

to do work is one of the characteristics of the job causing

stress to the employee. Another major aspect is the extent of

control an employee has over the work process. The pressure

of repetitive work in machine pacing system gradually

becomes a continuous source of stress to the worker. Another

important characteristic of the job is its attributes. If the job

13 Kahn, R.L., and Wolfe, D.M., Quinn, R.R., Sonek, J.D., and Rosenthal, R.A.,
“Organizational stress: Studies in role conflict and Ambiguity”. New York: Wiley,
1964 pp.127-130.
14 Pareek, U., “Organizational role stress: Manual”, Ahmedabad: Navin Publications,
1981, pp.697-699.
85
 lack enrichment and provide little opportunity to satisfy the

needs of autonomy, social interaction, power, use of

knowledge and abilities etc, they become stressful to their

incumbents.

iii. Physical work conditions and the technology: Another set of

factors in the work setting which cause stress are related to

qualities of physical work environment and technology.

Inadequate, taxing, or hazardous physical conditions at work

such as insufficient or excessive lighting, continued loud

noise, extreme cold or heat, fluctuation in temperature,

crowded workplace and the like. These physical qualities of

work environment cause direct sensory stress and indirect

psychological stress through their potentiality for causing

negative health consequences. Technical limitations, rapid

change in technology, inadequate technical management,

incongruence among task, technology and organizational

structure, inadequate manmachine system, and mechanization

of man are the potential sources of stress prevailing in work

setting.

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iv. Performance feedback and reward system: Performance

feedback is another important factor which enhances

employees’ motivation and performance, but causes

dissatisfaction and stress if it is inadequate or absent. If

feedback is not given at proper time or it is less frequent, it is

likely to cause stress to the concerned employee or worker.

Rewards and incentives which employees receive for their

work also play an important role in enhancing employees’

motivation and performance. But if it is not adequate the

results may be vice versa. The rewards for better or

exceptional job performance include monetary compensation

or benefits, recognition, appreciation, privileges and

promotion. These non-financial rewards are usually more

effective in improving employee’s motivation and

performance level. If the employees feel they are not being

adequately, proportionately or timely rewarded for their efforts

and sincerity, they are likely to encounter stress.

v. Interpersonal relations at work: Interpersonal relations among

employees and employer have consistent links with job stress.

Quality of occupational relationship plays a dominant role in

determining employee’s job behaviour and job strains.

87
 (Kets de Vries 1984)15 had studied three types of interpersonal

relationships viz., relationship with co-workers, relationship

within work groups and relationship with superiors and

subordinates. As the social support from the co-workers and

work groups, and supervisors buffers the job stress and

consequent strains, the poor or strained interpersonal

relationships at work is associated with the feeling of threat for

the employees. When employees have poor relationship with

co-workers, they blame the job stress they experience on their

co-workers. Conversely, those workers who report a greater

amount of group cohesion are more able to cope with stress on

the job. Relationship with superior or leaders are equally

important in determining the amount of job stress. Another

potentially stressful relationship within the job place is

observed in interactions with customers or clients. One group

of employees who have been identified as being at risk for

experiencing job stress are those who are involved in

providing service to others (Schuler 1984).16 Medical

15 Ketz de Vries, M.F.R., “Organizational stress management audit”, In A,S Sethi and
R.S Schuler (Eds.), Handbook of Organizational Stress and Coping Strategies.
Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1984, pp.453-455.
16 Schuler, R.S., “Organizational stress and coping: A model and overview”, In A.S.
Sethi and R.S Schuler (Eds.), Handbook of Organizational Stress and Coping
Strategies. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1984, pp.987-989.
88
 personnel having more contact with patients report high level

of emotional exhaustion (Maslach and Jackson 1981).17

vi. Organization structure and climate Besides the job role and job

characteristics, certain features of the structure, climate and

culture of the organization also cause severe psychological

stress to its employees. There are two kinds of organizational

structures depending upon the degree of involvement of

employees in decision making and direction of work. They are

centralized and decentralized organizational structures. It is

often studied that organizations welcoming or allowing

participation of employees in the workplace are less stressful.

The employees in decentralized organizations experience less

stress and more job satisfaction. Through these differential

effects it may be concluded that decision making enhances the

meaningfulness an employee finds in work and provides the

employees with a greater sense of autonomy, responsibility,

certainty, control and ownership (Cooper 1987).18 Climate and

culture of the organization has also been found to be the source

of satisfaction and stress. Organizational culture refers to the

17 Maslach, C., and Jackson, S.E., “The measurement of experienced burnout”,

Journal of Occupational Behaviour no.2: 1981, pp.99-113.
18 Cooper, C.L. “The experience and management of stress: Job and organizational
determinants, In A.W. Riley and S.J Zaccaro (Eds.). Occupational Stress and
Organizational Effectiveness. New York: Praejer, Vol. No. XVVI, 1987, pp93-97.
89
 beliefs and expectations shared by the members of the

organization. An important stress that results from

organizational culture is the existence of competition. Many

workers feel stress due to power struggles or office politics

prevailing in the organization. The superiors or managers

engaging in power games and political alliances can place

stressful expectations and demands on subordinates. Poor

organizational climate may also cause employee stress.

vii. Organizational change Organizations in the global market

place are continuously changing. These consistent changes in

organizational structure and its functioning are the results of

advancements in technology, economic constraints and

rational competitions. Although most of these changes are

necessary, it carries the risk of huge cost in terms of increased

health care expenses, lost productivity and lower level of job

satisfaction. This cost may be directly attributed to distress that

envelops when employees in an organization encounter

consistent changes. These changes at organizational level

cause stress at individual level. Organizational change occurs

when there is a shift in the activities of business, when the firm

launches a new product line or enters in a new market.

Whenever such changes take place the employees find it

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 cumbersome to adjust to the new working methods, new

market with dynamic characteristics and new product features.

As such changes in working patterns, insecurity, uncertainty

and fear of failure results in occupational stress. However, the

relationship between organizational change and occupational

stress has not been extensively investigated. In a study have

observed that the impact of organizational change on level of

employee stress is a subjective issue and differs from person to

person. Each employee evaluates the changes by filtering it

through his or her own unique perceptual process and the

potential impact of the change is determined by this

evaluation.

viii. Group Stressors every employee is a part of a small group or a

bigger group. He is a part of a project, a section, unit, division

or department. Therefore the group can be a potential source of

stressor. The various group stressors can be

a. Lack of group cohesiveness through his famous

Hawthorne Experiments established that togetherness

or cohesiveness provides satisfaction to employees.

Lack of cohesiveness builds up an atmosphere of

distrust, conflict and anxiety which serves as potential

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 stressor for the employees. Adjusting oneself with

other people in a work setting is one of the most

stressful aspects of life. An employee has to maintain

three crucial relationships at work and they are

relations with superiors, subordinates and peers.

b. Lack of social support system Every human being

seeks support in times of need or difficulty. In an

organization also, the employees look for support from

other colleagues in times of stress or difficulty. If he

gets this social support he feels much better and

relieved. If such support is lacking for an individual

employee, the same can cause stress to the employee.

ix. Interpersonal and inter group conflict Lack of understanding,

mutual trust and incompatibility in terms of needs and values

between co-workers and colleagues usually creates

interpersonal conflicts. Moreover, whenever the objectives and

goals of different groups in an organization coincide it results

in inter group conflict. Researches indicate that such

dysfunctional conflicts can lead to considerable stress for

employees.

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x. Individual Stressors: Apart from the environmental,

organizational and group stressors, there are individual factors

causing stress which are completely subjective and vary from

person to person. These are discussed below

a. Role conflict: Every person is playing varied roles in

their day-to-day life. Similarly, people play various

roles in the organizations. When people face conflicting

demands in discharging their roles, it is called role

conflict. For example, an employee has to play the role

of a sincere employee, a good supervisor, a husband at

home, a doting father, an understanding friend and the

like Role conflict also arises when an employee

receives contradictory messages from different people

about how to perform a job well. It is called intrarole

conflict.

b. Role ambiguity: Role ambiguity occurs when

employees are uncertain about various aspects of their

jobs. Such ambiguity tends to be experienced by

employees when they enter new job areas or taking a

foreign assignment because they are uncertain about

task and social expectations.

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c. Workload: In today’s competitive work environment

where downsizing is common, fewer employees are

often required to work even more than ever before. This

causes stress. Work overload is quite a common

problem in Japan that death from overwork has its own

name Karoshi. Just like over work under work can also

be quite stressful. Work under load is a situation of

receiving too little work or performing tasks that donot

sufficiently require employee’s talent.

d. Life events: Life events such as death of spouse, family,

friend divorce, injury to one’s family members,

unwanted frequency and the like have dramatic event

on people. The person experiences sudden life events

like death and divorce of spouse, the more is stress

experienced and in turn, the poorer will be his

consequent health.

e. Personality traits: Personality affects behaviour.

Individual characteristics of personality moderate the

extent to which people experience stress. That is the

reason different people experience different levels of

stress for the same stressors. There can be three reasons

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 attributing to the causes they are perception of the

employees towards the problem, personal resistance of

the employee and the various strategies adopted.

Women cope up with stress better than their male

counterparts.

3.2.3. Other Sources of Occupational Stress

McGrath has suggested the following six sources of occupational

stress19

i. Task-based stress (difficulty, ambiguity, load, and the like)

ii. Role-based stress (conflict, ambiguity, load, and the like)

iii. Stress intrinsic to behaviour setting (e.g., effect of crowding or

undermanning and the like)

iv. Stress arising from the physical environment itself (e.g., extreme

hot/cold, hostile forces and the like)

v. Stress arising from social environment in sense of interpersonal

relations (e.g., interpersonal disagreement, privacy, isolation, and

the like)

19 S K Srivastava, Organizational Behaviour and Management, Sarup and Sons, New

Delhi, 2005, pp.274-276.

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 vi. Stress within the person system which the focal person brings

with him to the situation (e.g., anxiety, perceptual style,

motivation, experience and the like)

Cooper and Marshall have described following seven categories of the

sources of managerial stress20

i. Factors intrinsic to the job Work overload under load, poor

physical working conditions, time pressure, having too many

decisions to make.

ii. Career development over promotion, under promotion, lack of job

security, fear of redundancy, thwarted ambition.

iii. Role in the organization Role ambiguity, role conflict,

responsibility for people.

iv. Relationship at work Poor relations with boss, colleagues and

subordinates, lack of trust and supportiveness, difficulties in

delegating responsibilities.

v. Organizational structure and climate Lack of effective

consultation, restrictions on behaviour, poor communication,

20 Cooper, C.L., and Marshall, J., “Occupational sources of stress: A review of the
literature relating to coronary heart disease and mental ill health”, Journal of
Occupational Psychology No.49, 1976, pp.11-28.
96
 no sense of belonging and little or no participation in decision

making.

vi. Extra-organizational sources Family problems, conflict of

personal belief with that of company, conflict of company with

family demands, marriage patterns, relocation and mobility.

vii. Characteristics of the individual Type A personality, extremes of

competitiveness, striving for achievement, impatience, haste,

hyperalertness, low self-esteem, lack of ability to cope or adapt to

stress situation and the like. Srivastava and Singh identified

twelve factors which cause occupational stress such as role

overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, group pressures,

low profitability, under participation, low status, responsibility for

people, intrinsic impoverishment, strenuous working conditions,

poor relations and powerlessness.21

3.3. Causes of Stress

Job stress results from various interactions of the worker and the

environment of the work they perform their duties, location, gender,

environment, and many other factors contribute to the buildup of stress. Job

stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work.

21 Srivastava, A.K., “Self-management of occupational stress: A cognitive-behavioural

approach”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations no.32, 1997, pp. 487-495.
97
Views differ on the importance of worker characteristics versus working

conditions as the primary cause of job stress. The differing viewpoints

suggest different ways to prevent stress at work. Differences in individual

characteristics such as personality and coping skills can be very important in

predicting whether certain job conditions will result in stress. In other words,

what is stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else. This

viewpoint underlies prevention strategies that focus on workers and ways to

help them cope with demanding job conditions. In general, occupational

stress is caused by a mismatch between perceived effort and perceived

reward, and a sense of low control in a job with high demands. Low social

support at work and job insecurity can also increase occupational stress.

Psychosocial stressors are a major cause of occupational stress.22

3.3.1. Working conditions

Although the importance of individual differences cannot be ignored,

scientific evidence suggests that certain working conditions are stressful to

most people. Such evidence argues for a greater emphasis on working

conditions as the key source of job stress, and for job redesign as a primary

prevention strategy. Large surveys of working conditions, including

conditions recognized as risk factors for job stress, were conducted in

22 Roberts, Rashaun; Grubb, Paula L.; Grosch, James W., "Alleviating Job Stress in
Nurses". NIOSH: Workplace Safety and Health. Medscape and NIOSH. Retrieved
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_stress, 2012, pp.37-57.
98
member states of the European Union in 1990, 1995, and 2000.

Results showed a time trend suggesting an increase in work intensity. In

1990, the percentage of workers reporting that they worked at high speeds at

least one-quarter of their working time was 48%, increasing to 54% in 1995

and to 56% in 2000. Similarly, 50% of workers reported they work against

tight deadlines at least one-fourth of their working time in 1990, increasing

to 56% in 1995 and 60% in 2000. However, no change was noted from the

period 1995 to 2000 (data not collected in 1990) in the percentage of

workers reporting sufficient time to complete tasks.23

3.3.2. Workload

In an occupational setting, dealing with workload can be stressful and

serve as a stressor for employees. There are three aspects of workload that

can be stressful. Quantitative workload or overload Having more work to do

than can be accomplished comfortably.

3.3.3. Qualitative workload

Having work that is too difficult.

3.3.4. Underload

Having work that fails to use a worker's skills and abilities.

Workload has been linked to a number of strains, including anxiety,

23 http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/z-lab-945/default_99101full.html
99
physiological reactions such as cortisol, fatigue, backache, headache, and

gastrointestinal problems.

Workload as a work demand is a major component of the Demand-

Control Model of Stress. This model suggests that jobs with high demands

can be stressful, especially when the individual has low control over the job.

In other words control serves as a buffer or protective factor when demands

or workload is high. This model was expanded into the Demand, Control

and Support Model that suggests that the combination of high control and

high social support at work buffers the effects of high demands. As a work

demand, workload is also relevant to the job demands and resources model

of stress that suggests that jobs are stressful when demands (e.g., workload)

exceed the individual's resources to deal with them.

3.3.5. Long hours

A substantial percentage of Americans work very long hours. By one

estimate, more than 26% of men and more than 11% of women worked 50

hours per week or more in 2000. These figures represent a considerable

increase over the previous three decades, especially for women. According

to the Department of Labor, there have been a rise in increasing amount of

hours in the work place by employed women, an increase in extended work

weeks (>40 hours) by men, and a considerable increase in combined

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working hours among working couples, particularly couples with young

children.24

3.3.6. Economic factors

Economic factors that employees are facing in the 21st century have

been linked to increased stress levels. Researchers and social commentators

have pointed out that the computer and communications revolutions have

made companies more efficient and productive than ever before. This boon

in productivity however, has caused higher expectations and greater

competition, putting more stress on the employee.25

The following economic factors may lead to workplace stress

i. Pressure from investors, who can quickly withdraw their

money from company stocks.

ii. The lack of trade and professional unions in the workplace.

iii. Inter-company rivalries caused by the efforts of companies to

compete globally

24 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_stress
25 Sneha Burman, Shailaja Shastri, “Occupational Stress and Organizational
Commitment of Employees in Virtual and Traditional Teams: A Comparative
Study”, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) Bangalore, Volume 2
Issue 10, October 2013, pp.984-989.

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 iv. The willingness of companies to swiftly lay off workers to

cope with changing business environments.

3.3.7. Bullying

Bullying in the workplace can also contribute to stress. This can be

broken down into five different categories

i. Threat to profession status

ii. Threat to personal status

iii. Isolation

iv. Excess work

v. Destabilization i.e. lack of credit for work, meaningless tasks

and the like.

This in effect can create a hostile work environment for the

employees that, which in turn, can affect their work ethic and contribution to

the organization.

3.3.8. Narcissism and Psychopathy

Thomas suggests that there tends to be a higher level of stress with

people who work or interact with a narcissist, which in turn increases

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absenteeism and staff turnover. Boddy finds the same dynamic where there

is corporate psychopath in the organisation.

3.3.9. Workplace Conflict

Interpersonal conflict among people at work has been shown to be

one of the most frequently noted stressors for employees. Conflict has been

noted to be an indicator of the broader concept of workplace harassment. It

relates to other stressors that might co-occur, such as role conflict, role

ambiguity, and workload. It also relates to strains such as anxiety,

depression, physical symptoms, and low levels of job satisfaction.

3.3.10. Occupational Group

Lower occupational groups are at higher risk of work-related ill

health than higher occupational groups. This is in part due to adverse work

and employment conditions. Furthermore such conditions have greater

effects on ill-health to those in lower socio-economic positions.

3.4. Techniques for Managing the Stress

High demand levels load the person with extra effort and work.

A new time schedule is worked up, and until the period of abnormally high,

personal demand has passed, the normal frequency and duration of former

schedules is limited. Many techniques cope with the stresses life brings.

Some of the following ways induce a lower than usual stress level,
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temporarily, to compensate the biological tissues involved; others face the

stressor at a higher level of abstraction.26

i. Autogenic training

ii. Social activity

iii. Cognitive therapy

iv. Conflict resolution

v. Cranial release technique

vi. Getting a hobby

vii. Meditation

viii. Mindfulness (psychology)

ix. Music as a coping strategy

x. Deep breathing

xi. Yoga Nidra

xii. Nootropics

xiii. Reading novels

xiv. Prayer

xv. Relaxation techniques

xvi. Artistic expression

xvii. Fractional relaxation

xviii. Humour

xix. Physical exercise

xx. Progressive relaxation

26 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_management
104
 xxi. Spas

xxii. Somatics training

xxiii. Spending time in nature

xxiv. Stress balls

xxv. Natural medicine

xxvi. Clinically validated alternative treatments

xxvii. Time management

xxviii. Planning and decision making

xxix. Listening to certain types of relaxing music

xxx. Spending quality time with pets

Techniques of stress management will vary according to the

philosophical paradigm.

3.5. Summary

In this chapter, the researcher has presented the theoretical

background of the study area which includes theoretical background of the

Occupational Stress, Causes of Stress and various techniques for managing

the stress.

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